


Bitter Rivals

by thedannylawrence



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-03-19 15:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3615687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedannylawrence/pseuds/thedannylawrence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura moves back to her hometown after a long hiatus. When she comes back she has to face the people that she used to be friends with, people she's lost ties with and of course Ms. Carmilla Karnstein, her childhood rival and borderline bully. Will she be able to handle it? Or will it become too much?<br/>(This fic starts off with Hollence but ends with Hollstein, I'm following as close to the plot as possible)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To Hell With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find the track for this chapter here: https://8tracks.com/virtualcherub/to-hell-with-you

There’s probably a thousand ways to do it, such as, having a refreshing breakfast, waking up next to someone you love, finding money.

  
Well, if this were some rom com, or a really cheesy fiction, that's how it would start, but no. This is real life and this day starts with Laura Hollis arriving to school and being refreshed by a splash of water. Not in the "I just cleaned my face way" but in the "some careless jerk ran over a puddle and ruined my first day of school outfit that I spent days planning".

  
She doesn't know if she expected good things to happen when she packed her bags for her hometown, but she didn't expect this. This day was already at a terrific start, her outfit was now splattered with what appeared to be mud but then again, how could anything in this town be predictable? She half wishes she could go back to her previous home, far, far away from here but she knew there was no way that would happen again. Even through all of this hatred, some miniscule hope is in her. I mean how bad could it be? Sure there were a lot of people that she'd rather not see again, pestering her about how she'd grown or what a "hottie" she was, but there were people she did want to see.

  
For example, Danny Lawrence.

  
Danny was just about the nicest person Laura had ever met. Even though Laura moved away from Silas when she was 11, Danny still kept contact. Every week Laura would open up her mailbox and find a letter from Danny. It was mostly keeping her up to date. Sure, there was that gap in communication between the two for a while but she was one of the only people who tried. That was more than anyone had done for her.

  
Laura’s gaze moved from her mud soaked shoes over to the puddle that had just ruined her well planned out outfit. Her eyes flicked over at it as if they were trying to make the water to boil and evaporate. The anger was foolish, after all it was the idiot behind the wheels fault and not the weather but it did help in some odd way. Something glimmered in the puddle and when she looked closer, she noticed the necklace. A single chain gold necklace with a tiny anchor attached. A sad smile spread across her face as she took it into her hands, wiping off the dirt. She puts it in her pocket, another deposit for the schools lost and found.

  
A buzz in her pocket snaps her back to the bustling surroundings. Her hands fumble for her phone in her back pocket and she flips it open. God, not only did she have to return as the not so new kid but as the kid with the flip phone. A message comes up on the screen:  
Danny :) : Hey Hollis, meet me by the main entrance, I’ll be showing you around for the day

  
Laura almost manages to drop her phone, rushing through the crowd of beef cake teenage boys to the front doors. Her breath wavers as her hand touches the front door and she steadies it before pushing in.

  
Being in high school must be weird anywhere, but being in a high school that you never thought you’d have to be in was even weirder. She remembered always looking up at the school and telling her mom “I can’t wait to get big and go there!” Her mom would always smile and nod, letting Laura ramble on. She wishes that she could’ve just had a normal high school experience. Go to school with all her friends, come home and tell her mom about her day. Those things we’re never going to happen and it was probably not best to dwell on them.

  
“Laura! Laura!”. Her head snaps up in the direction of the noise (probably way more eagerly and creepily than she intended). At this point, she’s just staring at a white tank top, covering a torso.

She has to arch her head up a little bit more to really see who it is. Long red hair fell onto toned shoulders, a strong jaw, really nice lips, freckles, high cheek bones and at last, blue eyes that seemed to know just what she was thinking.

  
“Hey Laura?” Danny’s voice breaks the daze that Laura must’ve been in. A squeaky “Hey” manages to come out of Laura’s throat and she lets out what must be a completely goofy smile. “Hey?” Danny asks, “I dont see you for 6 years and all I get is a ‘Hey’? Come here”. Dannys arms wraps around Laura, just the right way. Lauras arms wrap immediately around Dannys waist and she thanks god for muscle memory.  
-  
“So,” Danny says, looking over at Laura while they wander away from the guidance office “what’s your schedule?”. Lauras words catch in her throat again (she has really got to get a hold of that) “Oh yeah right”, her finger scrolls along the schedule, still hot off the printer. She can’t trust herself to read the words right. “Here, you just read it” she says as she passed the paper to Danny

“You’d probably know better than me.” She stares up at Danny, watching her eyes scan the schedule. Her words come before her thoughts do “You look so, wow, like, I guess I couldn’t see how much you’ve changed just based on photos”.

Immediately, she can feel a pit in her stomach grow, wishing she could take the words back.

Danny lets out a soft chuckle and looks over at Laura, at which Laura feels like her heart has stopped. “So have you Hollis. You look kinda badass now, and adorable. A perfect combination. Anyways, we have almost every period together, and we should probably get to English before you get your first late” Danny manages to say, so casually that it makes Laura a little bit jealous. “Well, lets go then?” Laura says, grinning up at Danny. Well, she guesses that this day couldn’t be too bad.

 

Laura and Danny slip into the classroom right before the bell rings. Danny sits near a window in the middle row in what Laura assumes is her usual seat. She waves Laura over and Laura’s feet blindly start to make their way over before an arm blocks her path. She's tempted to just break past it and snap the arm out of the way but that's probably not the best way to start your first day in a new school.

“Not so fast miss.” A monotone voice comes out of the mans throat. “We haven’t been introduced yet. I’m Mr. Delacruz, or Mr.D for shirt”. Laura looks like a deer in head light and takes a few moments to find her voice. She tries to speak, but first impressions aren't really her thing.

“I’m L-” before she can finish, the door creaks open, well more like slams, open. An average height girl walks in, bowed down like no one had even noticed her entrance. Laura can’t really see her face but the all black clothing and tight leather jeans doesn’t really give off the impression that they want to be noticed.

Mr. D's voice clears as he looks at the door. “Late again? You know that next time I have to give you a detention.” Laura stands awkwardly in the midst of the situation, looking between the teacher and the mysterious girl in the back. “Got it” she says, sitting right behind Laura’s reserved seat.

“Anyways, class, this is Laura Hollis. I’d appreciate it if you gave her a warm welcome and helped her around. Where are you from Ms. Hollis?” He asks. Laura really appreciates the fact that he’s trying to make her feel welcome but the embarassment of standing in front of all these people is creeping up on her. That and the feeling of the girl in the back boring her eyes into her.  
“I’m actually from here.” she says softly “I just moved back”.

A few moments of awkward silence follow her response.  
“Well you can sit now” he finally says, much to Lauras relief. She scuttles over next to Danny, sitting down closely.

 

A small ‘clang’ comes out as something hits the floor next to her. She looks over at the fallen necklace, leaning over to pick it up. She rubs it in her hand, hearing a shove in the desk behind her. She does her best to pick the dust off the tiny creases in the anchor when a voice interrupts her.

“Where’d you get that” a voice she can’t quite indentify demands. Laura answers without moving her gaze “I found it outside”. Suddenly the stranger is dangerously close to her, she gets a faint scent of vanilla. “I asked where the hell you got this.” The girl asks, a little more harsh now, her hands grasping on the necklace. It's the same girl from earlier.

Her heart beats fast, thudding in her ears. “Hey, what the hell is your problem Carmilla?” Danny asks the girl, trying to wedge between her and Laura. Before Laura even has a chance to process the name, a voice booms from the front of the classroom. “Ms. Karnstein, sit down or I will have to ask you to leave. I can't teach the class with your interruptions.”

Karnstein  
Karnstein  
Karnstein

Laura’s head begins to swim, she doesn’t know how she didn’t realize it before. This girl had made her life hell before she moved and she can’t even remember her face.

“No way.” Laura mumbles, looking over at what she now recognizes as the person that she once hated the most.  
“Carmilla Karnstein?”

Carmilla smooths out her leather pants, snatching the necklace out of her hands.

"Welcome to Silas cupcake. Try not to be as oblivious next time"


	2. Comeback Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am literally 6 months late updating this but I was without a source to write this for that long. New laptop, new updates! Please do not hate me. Anyways, this chapter has some reflection and gays of all sizes.

"No need to be so rude, she did nothing to you. In fact, the least you could do is thank her for finding your necklace anyways." Danny growled a bit, the anger rising in her facial features. Which was kind of cute to Laura, having someone to stand up for you was always nice and maybe just a little attractive. Or very.

Realizing she was probably staring too much, Laura's eyes dashed over to the black cloaked figure. Carmilla freaking Karnstein. Of all the people who had to sit in front of her in her first period class, it had to be Carmilla. This girl was a spoiled little menace when they were younger and of all the people to target, of course Laura had to be the main focus. She might as well have worn all red and waved herself about to be the target of little miss Karnsteins horns. Everyday in some way or another Carmilla would spoil Laura's day. One time she even told her to "get out of her school". As if her name was plastered on the school and she had the right to let in who she wanted and kick out who she didn't like. But as always, Carmilla eventually got her way, however, backing down was never Laura's 'thing'.

Snapped back by the sound of the princess herself speaking, she could see each word pouring out with such animosity. "Danny, just shut up please. I'm sure your girlfriend can stand up for herself." Laura's cheeks turned bright red and she could feel Danny's eyes on her. Before she even thought she found herself muttering like an idiot once again "No one said anything about her being my girlfriend. I can see you haven't changed at all." She said, her lips curling into what she thought was menacing but Danny couldn't help but laugh a bit. She was like a little pug, with her face all scrunched up. 

The laughing didn't last long before Carmilla cut in again. Her body shifted over from facing Danny and in one chilling motion faced Laura. "Excuse me, you are?" she asked, in a tone that felt like she was trying to shrink Laura with each word.

Laura cleared her throat and looked up at Carmilla, trying to feign some confidence. "Laura Hollis. Remember all those times you got me in trouble?" She asked, her head turning just a bit. But something in that changed Carmilla, maybe Laura's ballsyness had finally shattered her porcelain high horse. The only reaction that Laura got from her was some type of muttering that sounded like a "right" or maybe an "okay" before she watched the girl sink back into her chair. Just like that, the whole scene that Carmilla had made herself was settled by just Laura's name. Or maybe the fact that she finally realized that the whole class was staring to the back of the room at the trio, hungry for distraction from the normal school day. Soon though, the teacher cleared his throat and like they were staring at some sort of beacon, all the kids reared their heads back to the front of the classroom. 

"Well that was weird" Danny whispered to the smaller girl next to her, figuring that they had already had enough attention for one day. Laura's head moved to face Danny and her eyes traveled up to meet hers. "I can still hear you dumb ass." Carmilla cut in, moving to lean against the window. Laura just rolled her eyes and looked back at Danny, lowering her voice more as to not get more unwanted input from the snark master. "Tell me about it. Is she always like this?" 

Danny didn't even dignify the question with a proper answer and just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I guess something never change." Laura said, knowing Carmilla probably heard, or was listening at least. Frankly, Laura could not care if Carmilla did hear her. She had no right to be so rude, and no right to act like the queen bee just because her family has some important standing in this town. Besides, it wasn't even a cool town, like at least if you're going to act like you're so high and mighty because your mom is the mayor it could at least be the mayor of a town that mattered. 

She must have thought about that all period because before she realized it, Danny was tapping her arm and carrying her books. "Come on Hollis, it's time to go." she said, towering over Laura. Laura looked up and hummed a little, clearing the fogginess from her mind before standing. "You don't have to carry those." Laura said, opening her arms for the notebooks.

But that once again, wasn't even dignified with an answer, instead Danny just kept walking peaking over at Laura as she hit the door frame. "Come one, you've got more classes." She smiled back, letting out a little chuckle.

That's okay though, of course she had to say that with that big goofy smile on her face. Which was completely unfair, Laura could never pull something like that off and Danny had some how made her feel like plastering one on. But the reminder of classes sunk in, realizing she had actual responsibilities and couldn't just act like a babbling little school girl. She stifled the smirk on her face and followed Danny out the door, the two making their way to Laura's next class.

Somehow, she had made it through the rest of the day without causing any trouble. Apparently stirring up drama with the mayors daughter was enough trouble for the day, she felt as if the cosmos were laughing at her, setting her up for a never ending circle of confusion and t shirt stains. Laura stopped at her locker, grabbing the essentials before stepping outside to meet Danny, who promised her a ride home. She waited, leaning against Danny's locker, playing with the ends of her hair and trying not to look like a completely lost idiot. 

Just then, she was interrupted by some figure in the corner of her eye. For a second she thought that it was Danny but then realized skin tight black leather wasn't exactly Danny's style.

Although she wouldn't mind that.

Snapping back she looked up and once again, Carmilla Karnstein had made her way back to torment her. Laura didn't even grant her a greeting, instead she just stood there waiting for the daggers to come out. Instead, what came out was something that Laura really would never expect. 

"I'm sorry" She heard Carmilla say. Her voice actually was nice when she didn't use it to scream, or belittle. Before she even had finished saying a "its fine" Carmilla had dashed out, like the illusive figure she tried so hard to maintain. 

Well, weird wouldn't even begin to explain the first day back, or the behavior of the people here.


	3. Leader of the Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well if I'm going to have a fanfic account named after a certain character, I should at least write a chapter about them, right?

       "What was that all about huh?" Danny spoke up, pulling Laura out of her trance. "Is she bothering you again?" she asked, stepping in front of Laura, facing her and giving her a once over. She knew that Carmilla was too smart to just outright hurt someone in public, but it didn't hurt to check. For damage you know, in a completely 'I'm looking out for you' kind of way. Purely. Just that.

      "Huh? Yeah, I'm good." Laura finally replied, looking out through the crowd of people, hoping she might be able to see Carmilla in the crowd. She ran away in a speed that was almost inhuman, like she just completely vanished and had some place better to brood. "She didn't do anything bad." Laura paused, realizing looking for Carmilla was rather pointless and she was probably being rude. "She apologized actually." Laura said, her face scrunching up at the idea. That was probably the last thing she had expected from someone who seemed like she always knew exactly what she was doing.

    "Weird. I thought the mistress of snark only had hate as an emotion." Danny laughed a little to herself, running her hand through her hair. Laura shivered a little bit, like something was running up her spine. She looked down at the mud-stained shoes, afraid that her facial expressions might give her away. "So." Danny said with a pause, grabbing her bag out of the locker. "Do you wanna maybe come to this bonfire thing tonight? It's like a little party. I'm inviting all of the summer society sisters and Perry and Su-" She paused, biting her tongue. "Lafontaine and Perry are invited if you want them to come." She said, looking down at Laura, who was still staring at her shoes. "I mean you don't have to- I don't want you to feel obligated or anything it's just that I would really love to see you there and th-" Danny was cut off by Laura, who finally decided to pry her eyes off the ground and actually focus on something interesting. 

    "I'd love to go Danny.  What time is it?" Laura asked, her face a little red and big grin plastered on her face, the kind where her teeth showed a little bit too much. She really needed to work on being subtle. "I'll ask my dad to drive me." she added on, not wanting to inconvenience Danny more than she already had.

    "I'll pick you up around 7?" Danny asked. Her hands moved to her back pocket, taking out a set of keys. They were for some sort of Jeep, and had little charms on them. One of which was a corgi that made a tiny little when you pushed in its tail which Laura found very odd for someone like Danny but somehow very cute. She had others, a little bow and arrow, a field hockey stick, and a tiny sword. Those all seemed very fitting, but the corgi was somehow the most fitting. 

     "Sounds like a date." Laura said, smiling and nodding then stopping. "A plan, a very good plan, its sounds like fun plans." She babbled on, trying to correct herself for a good 10 seconds before Danny just laughed and rested a hand on her back. "I missed you Hollis." She laughed some more, trying to making Laura feel better. "Lets get you home, its been a long day." 

    The car ride had went a little too fast. Not that Danny was a reckless driver but it just felt like her and Laura connected so well. They talked the entire way back to Laura's house in which Laura was caught up on what she missed between whips of hair getting caught in her face from the wind. She found out that somehow, Mrs.Mrs. Karnstein was still the mayor, even though she was pretty sure it was illegal for someone to be in power for that long. Lafontaine didn't go by first name anymore, and neither did Perry. Which, they could catch up on about later. Danny was basically a leader in the school, good grades, in charge of one of the biggest clubs, sports star galore. Even though she could be doing anything, she decided to spend her time with Laura which was unfathomable to her. Some of Laura's other older friends had moved away too, which made her a little sad but she was still surrounded by great people. For the most part at least. 

   

     When they finally made it back to Laura's house, part of her didn't want to leave. She know it would on be a couple of hours until they got to see each other again, and she probably looked disgusting in a mud specked outfit but it felt like their conversation was never really finished. After a few moments, they finally said their goodbyes and Laura headed inside. She used the same turtle key that she had when she was younger, now just fitted for the new locks. She kicked off her shoes on the mat and put her bags on the bench. She left her key in the bowl and sat on the kitchen counter where her dad was working away on his laptop. He looked as if he just woke up, or just wanted to go to sleep but knowing his habits, he had been up working all day. An empty cup of coffee on the counter next to her answered Laura's questions. She grabbed it and put it under the coffee maker, making the way he liked it. Black.

"Hey Dad." Laura said, sliding him a cup of coffee. His eyes were pulled away from the laptop screen by the sound of her voice and the smell of the coffee. He wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her down and giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Laura smiled and pulled away. Sure, her dad was too mushy but it was nice at least to have someone who cared about you. She moved back to her position on the counter, ready for the stream of questions. 

"How was your first day back?" He asked, his brow raising as he sipped from his mug, glasses steaming up from the coffee. "Did you make any friends? Or keep the old ones I guess. Make any enemies? Good teachers." He spit off in quick succession.

"Good, yes, maybe and the teachers are all good." She laughed and nodded, hopping off the counter. She put her arms around him from behind, hugging him and giving his, what he would call receding and what anyone with seeing eyes would call a bald head. "I've got to get ready now though, I'm going out." She said quickly, hoping to avoid anymore questions. 

But she should've known better, this was the man who wanted to walk her to school everyday, including today. She was a junior in high school and she was pretty sure she could handle it. 

Before she could even make it out of the doorway of the kitchen he stopped her. "Where are you going? And with who?" He asked, spinning around in his stool, a firm look on his face. She knew that it wouldn't be that easy but it wouldn't hurt to try.

"I'm going out with Danny." She said, looking at him. "I mean, Im going to a bonfire  _with_  Danny." She clarified, somehow still managing to be a babbling idiot in front of her father.  **  
**

"Will there be boys?" He asked, crossing his arms. The age old question, 'will there be boys?' Yes. Boys existed and in some plane and timeline, they were probably going to show up. Not that it mattered, or that anything was wrong with them. It was just something that Laura never wanted.

"I don't think so. But it doesn't matter, can I please go get ready?" She asked, shooting him the puppy eyes and pout that never failed to get her what she wanted. 

"Fine." He sighed, rubbing his brow. "But I want you home by 11 and call me when you get there!" He yelled out, hearing Laura's feet already running up the stairs. 

 

     She shut the door hard behind her, nervously undressing herself. She had to find something cute, but still somehow hot. Not too dorky either, but humble so that she could actually look her friends in the eye. After about a half hour of trying on at least a dozen outfits, dresses, overalls, and hoodies she settled on a black circle skirt and a white sleeveless button up. It was nice enough, although she had to wear leggings underneath it to avoid her legs freezing off, it went together well. Maybe she should've avoided white after looking at her muddy shirt but it was too late now. This outfit looked just too good to take off. 

Laura looked at herself in the mirror for a few minutes and then smoothed out her shirt, texting Perry and Lafontaine.

Groupchat 1

Laura **( _3:05 pm_ )**:  _Hey guys, Danny is having a little bonfire tonight at her place, she invited me and the summer society. She said she wants me to invite you guys too, if you're up for it. We need to catch up!_

She put some spray in her hair too keep it from frizzing up, stopping once she heard a buzz, quickly followed by another

Perry _**(3:07 pm)**_ :  _We would love to come! I'll bring some brownies and well meet you there! Text us when you're on your way there and we'll head out_ ** _  
_**

Lafontaine **_(3:07 pm)_** :  _Yeah, me and Perr will swing around then! Can't wait to see you :)_

Laura smiled to herself, putting the phone back down on the dresser. She put on some makeup, nothing too obvious. She didn't like to wear that much, just enough to cover up what she needed to. She finally finished up around an hour later. She never realized how long it took her to actually do makeup. It's so time consuming, but so worth it. She picked up her phone and checked the time

4:15

 _'Shit'_ she thought to herself. She had already been ready, but had 3 hours to kill. Figuring there was nothing better to do, she put her clothes back on their hangers and set an alarm for 6:40. She crawled into her bed, pulling the blanket over her head, and slowly drifted off. 

"Do you remember when you used to sleep at night---" The music blared from Laura's phone, waking her from the nap. "Its not overrrrrrr- " She swiped her phone, turning off the alarm and sitting up from the bed. She looked over at the mirror and her hair was a wreck. But she could fix that, she hoped at least. Quickly, she got up from her bed, folding the blankets and putting them on the corner of the bed. She sat in the chair in front of her mirror and curled the bottom of her hair, trying to cover up any bedhead. Well pulled off, if she did say so herself. 

Standing up and putting on a pair of shoes, she looked over at her phone, a call from Danny. She nervously picked up the phone and answered, pressing it to her ear.

"Hey Danny." She said, still sliding on her shoes.

"Hey Laura." She heard the reply, grunting a bit as she tried to put her shoes on. "Can I come get you now?" She heard Danny ask, some music playing in the background.

"Of course!" She answered, finally getting both feet in her shoes.

"Alright, see you soon! I'll call when I'm outside." Danny said excitedly on the other end. "Goodbye"

"Goodbye!" Laura piped up. Shortly after, she hung up, putting her phone back down. She lifted her foot on her knee and tied her shoe laces, doing the same with each shoe. After she was done, she ran downstairs, eagerly waiting by the door.

Danny didn't even have to call because when she pulled up, Laura was out the door and skipping to the Jeep. Which was probably the cutest thing Danny has ever seen. She unlocked the door for her and opened it for her. Although, there wasn't much effort in doing it. Danny took the covering off the doors, and let the top was exposed. The black exterior was speckled with a little bit of mud but the inside was spotless. When Laura hopped in she could tell that Danny took good care of it, the seats were spotless, the panels had been all wiped down, and Danny sure knew how to pay attention to detail. 

"Hey" Laura said, giving Danny a small wave. She felt shrunken in the car, especially next to Danny. Something about it was comforting, but intimidating. 

"Hey Hollis, you look nice." She smiled, giving her a wave back. She watched Laura put on her seat belt and nodded. "Ready to go?" 

"Yep! I just have to text Lafontaine and Perry." she said, fidgeting with her phone. "And done. Lets go!" She said, smiling up at Danny. She was excited to meet the summer society girls, and to see Lafontaine and Perry. She missed them so much, they had all been so close back then, but things changed. And of course, she was excited to be with Danny.  She was cool, and there was a lot that Laura could learn from her. It was so admirable that she was sure of herself, and was so ambitious. Danny had this sort of air about her, one that was comforting and inviting. Even though they hadn't seen each other in years, Danny somehow managed to make her feel like they hadn't spent a day apart. She was just such a comforting person, so uplifting and supportive. Even when Laura was gone for most of the time, she managed to comfort her through everything. It was just nice for her to have someone who remembered her and was there for her.

Laura hummed along to the music on the car ride there, bobbing her head as her hand rode the waves of wind out the window. "You've got a good taste in music" she yelled over at Danny, putting on her sunglasses. 

Danny just laughed and put her hand on the wheel, allowing the other one to flop out the window. "Thanks, I made this CD myself." she laughed, looking over at Laura momentarily. "You should show me some of your music sometime, I bet its just as good" she said, nodding her head to the beat. 

At almost the same time they cut in singing along to the song an overbearing and croaky chorus of " _Dear heart, dont stop fighting, prepare, fight the lightning_ " broke the momentarily silence of the car, followed by a even more croaky chorus of laughter, lasting until they pulled up to the house.

And jeez, did Laura forget how nice Danny's house was. The front was layered in white bricks, except for the giant glass pane that showed off the kitchen. The front double doors had gold handles and for some reason, Laura was just drawn to them, wanting to go inside. She was pulled away by Danny's voice. "Come on, parties over here." She chuckled, reaching out for her hand. Dannys hand grabbed hers, leading her along a rock path to the back yard. When she walked through the fence and could see that most of the yard had marble tiling, with a section in the back left untouched. Their was a pool and a fire pit next to it, under an awning. There were about 10 or so society girls there and in the corner, Perry and Lafontaine posed like American Gothic, with brownies instead of a pitchfork

Laura walked over to them, giving a goofy little wave. Danny took the brownies from Perry and whispered what seemed to be a 'thanks'. Laura wasted no time in hugging both of them at the same time, still trying to speak while covered in their sweaters. "I've missed you guys" she muttered.

Lafontaine hugged her back immediately, and Perry hesitated for a moment before hugging her back. "We've missed you too" Perry said, rubbing Laura's back

"Yeah, me and Perr have been talking about all the stuff that we need to do together again. Although I think we might be a little too old for Lego's." Lafontaine joked, their grin spreading. 

"Much too old." Perry said, smiling and nodding, her turtle green turtle neck leaving strings on Laura's shirt. 

"I don't know guys" Laura replied, picking little green strings off her chest. "Lego's are pretty timeless." She chuckled. It felt natural to be with them, everything here just felt so natural. 

Perry laughed and looked over at the table, gesturing. "There's some pizza over there if you want some, and I made some brownies, and vegetable lasa-"

Everything was drowned out by a creepy chant, in unison

 

**"PIZZA. OR. DEATH. PIZZA. OR. DEATH"**

 

Which was then drowned out by Danny's screaming

 

**"Oh _fuck_ no you guys are not ruining this for me."**

 


	4. Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kicking ass and taking names. Or more like, angry yelling and cowering puppies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the hiatus. I had lost wifi for a bit and had no way of uploading this as well as being a full time student and nearly full time employee.

    Laura sat down, finally feeling defeated. She wrapped her hand around a vanilla cupcake, with vanilla frosting and peeled off the wrapper. Danny and Kirsch had been yelling at each other for a good 15 minutes and Laura's yelling just wasn't loud enough to break up the two.  Defeated, she ate the cupcake, and then rested her head on Perry's shoulder. Perry simply rubbed Laura's arm, in that always comforting motherly way. Danny's and Kirsch's screams were still present in the foreground and the Summers had all gathered around Danny in unity while the Zeta's kind of stood awkwardly, some of them taking pizza from the table. It had been years since Laura had last seen Kirsch, he looked almost exactly the same just much taller. The thought of his personality changing ran through her head for a moment

"For the  **last** time Kirsch, you and your beer buddies aren't invited to my house. You never will be." 

"You can't just have pizza and babes and not invite me." 

Nope, same old Kirsch

"Besides, nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, right?" Kirsch leaned into one of his Zeta buddies and shimmied his shoulder just a little bit.

"Right." The smaller Zeta said, something about him was very familiar. Laura doesn't think she's seen him before, but something about his facial structure is very very familiar. 

"Kirsch." Danny's hand moves to her eyebrows, pinching the space between them. "Entering peoples private property is not friendly competition. Last time I checked, it was illegal." Danny pauses and lifts up her arm, reading the tiny hands of her watch. "You have 15 seconds to get out of here before me and the girls guarantee that all of the Zeta parties are nothing but sausage fests."

Kirsch steps back, looking like an actually wounded puppy. He doesn't leave, but continues to stare at Danny.

"Fourteen." Danny counts down.

Kirsch turns around, trying to round up the boys with his practically incoherent whooping. "Lets get out of here guys." He yells, waving all of the guys out. One by one, they walk out of the fence. Kirsch is the last one to leave, giving an animated wave to Danny. She just rolls her eyes and turns around in response. 

Laura looks over to see Lafontaine's head on Perrys other shoulder and laughs a little. She just smiles up at the two, and slowly leans back up. She picks up her soda and winces a little bit when the bubbles trickle down her throat. When her eyes open back up, she notices that Danny is bent over next to her, setting the logs on the fire pit. She just flicks a match on the logs, poking it with the stoker and the embers burn up on the bottom. Danny sits down next to Laura, and Laura can't tell if the warmth on her face is from the fire or not. 

"Sorry about that." Danny says, grabbing a marshmallow and putting it on a stick. She passes the stick to Laura, and gives her an apologetic smile. The other summers find their seats on the other rustic looking benches around the pit. 

Laura holds the stick between her legs, holding it up. Her hands run to her hair, pulling it up into a loose bun. A piece of hair falls on her face, but she decides not to fix it. "Does it happen often?"

Danny's eyes dart away and focus on the flame, putting her own marshmallow into it. "Sometimes, they just show up uninvited. But I can handle it." She says, looking at Laura for just a moment and then focusing back on the fire. "They're just boys."

"Can I get a marshmallow over here?" Lafontaine cuts in, leaning forwards. Perry's hand reaches out and holds them back, their face too close to the flame for comfort. "Two actually." Laf's eyes dart from Perry to Danny, a mischievous and goofy grin on their face. Danny passes them the whole bag, to which Laf's eyes widen and even though Laura can't see her face, she can tell by the twist of the head and Laf's muted smile that Perry definitely doesn't approve.

Laura looks back at Danny, smiling shyly as she puts her marshmallow into the flame. Danny pulls hers out just then, and its perfectly toasted. The outer layer just falls off as her fingers peel it off. Danny gets some of the goo on her fingers and licks it off, making eye contact with Laura accidentally. They both burst out into laughter, and Laura pulls out her marshmallow. It's in flames and as Laura desperately tries to blow out the flame, she notices that its severely burnt. "Nice on Hollis." Danny chuckles, watching Laura puff onto the flames. 

"Oh hush" Laura says, picking off the burnt pieces once the flame goes out. She looks over at Perry, whose marshmallow is probably just warm at best, and then there was Laf, whose marshmallow fell to the ground in flames. They laughed over it a bit mechanically as Perry frantically threw her glass of water on the flame.  She can't hear what she's saying, but she can most definitely tell its a scolding of some sort.

Laura's body turns to Danny, trying to close herself away from Perry and Laf. Her voice is low and soft, trying to keep some privacy about it. "Are they dating?" She asks. Danny peeks over and looks at the two, who still seem to be talking about the burnt marshmallow. "I can't tell. They've always been like this."

"Yeah." Laura's response is more instinct then understanding. She tries to think back of what they were like before she moved, even before middle school. The memories all brew over her filter, and she starts pouring them out.

"Remember when Lafontaine got in trouble for putting glue in their own hair? And how Perry got in even more trouble for cutting it out? Or when I fell when I was trying to climb that wall and all three of you tried to carry me back in? Or how you would always play with those little finger skateboards." Laura's mouth ran faster than her mind and she spewed out almost every memory that she had. After a couple minutes of rambling and Danny's occasional and loudly exclaimed yes's and laughter it truly felt like Laura was back. Nothing had changed at all since she'd left. Everyone had the same way about them, still so caring. Some had matured more than others obviously but she was glad to have them around again. They were people she could trust to build her up again. 

Before she knew it, Laura had probably eaten 7 marshmallows, all perfectly cooked by Danny herself. Her stomach churned at the thought of eating another, but it was so hard to resist when Danny offered them rapid fire. After finally being able to resist one, Laura checked her phone.

11:05 pm

"What the hell" Laura said, fixing her hair. She unlocked her phone and thankfully, no missed calls. "I have to go." She says, a little reluctantly

"Let me drive you" Danny says, already shaking her car keys in her hand

"I think me and Perr could take her home, I mean, I live right next door." Lafontaine chimed in, to Laura's surprise. 

"Are you sure?" Danny and Laura said in unison, their bodies turning to face Lafontaine and Perry

"We can get her home safely." Perry's response was paired with a comforting smile, the one she always seemed to put on.

Laura silently turned to hug Danny, feeling engulfed by her arms. There was a strange warmness about her, like she was her own personal heated blanket. A few seconds passed  and they let go at the same time. Thankful for the lack of awkward lingering that often followed hugs, Laura turned to follow Laf and Perry out the gate.

A few steps past the gate and Laura could already tell what Lafontaine drove. There it was. An old fashioned Volkswagen van. Most times, the rust stained paint would be tearing off something this old but its new coat of mint green paint kept it pristine. There were a couple of things hanging from the rear view mirror, a set of beads, a name tag, and a pine air freshener. Laura's seat was in the back. It had no buckles and almost just looked like if someone ripped out the top peace of a couch. She pushed aside the thought of her dad having a heart attack if she didn't wear a seat belt and sat back. The music playing over the car was something light and feminine, and Laura figured it was something of Perry's. 

A few minutes of soft songs played, small talk about classes and new friends. Eventually, Lafontaine had pulled up to Laura's house. She thanked the both of them, leaning over the front to wrap her arms around the two of them and give a small squeeze. 

Her feet lightly touched the front steps. She put in the code for her house and walked in, quietly shutting the door behind her. Instead of punishment, what she found was her dad in the same position she had left him in. Only this time, his head was rested on the laptop and soft snoring coming from his mouth. She made her way to him and took the coffee that was being held precariously over his laptop and kissed his head.   
  


"Goodnight Dad"


End file.
